It is difficult to describe how much life has changed over the past month as we respond to the outbreak of coronavirus in the United States and around the world. Even in the best of times, women who are pregnant or have children are acutely aware of the enormous responsibility they carry in caring for their families. When the world presents new threats and challenges, normal worries can grow into fear and anxiety.
Sharon Dekel, PhD, a researcher and psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, has long been interested in maternal well-being and mental health after childbirth. Her research has focused on childbirth-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), specifically understanding why certain women develop PTSD symptoms in the setting of childbirth-associated trauma while others do not.
In the current context of the COVID-19 pandemic, what has been an eagerly awaited event — the birth of a child — has been infused with uncertainty, anxiety and fear. Although we focus more on the positive aspects of new motherhood, it is also a time of uncertainty. What happens when new mothers must deal with additional concerns and worries — about the baby becoming ill, about leaving the house to see a doctor, about not being able to get enough diapers, about being on lockdown. What impact will this have on new mothers?
To help answer some of these questions, and their birth experience and to understand how these women cope with new motherhood in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Women can participate in this study anonymously by completing a brief online survey; 744 women have already enrolled, including those in and outside of the United States. More information on this study can be found HERE.
Read More:
The Mothers Who Can’t Escape the Trauma of Childbirth (The Atlantic) – Includes interview with Dr. Sharon Dekel on postpartum PTSD
Exploring the Mental Health Impact of COVID-19 on New Mothers (MGH Research Institute)
